Université Sainte-Anne denies liability in alleged sexual assaults on campus

A Nova Scotia university being sued by a student who alleges she was sexually assaulted on campus is denying allegations that it failed to protect the woman from physical and emotional harm.

In a notice of defence signed Aug. 8, 2024, Université Sainte-Anne rejected all claims outlined in a lawsuit filed by Marissa Williams, who has studied at the small francophone school in Church Point, N.S., since 2019.

"If Williams suffered any injury, loss or damage … then such was not suffered or sustained by reason of any negligence or purported vicarious liability on the part of US-A [Université Sainte-Anne]," said the notice.

Williams has alleged that she was raped in separate incidents in 2021 by two fellow students — one who played on the men's volleyball team and another who was a residential adviser. 

A statement of claim filed in Nova Scotia Supreme Court at the end of May said Université Sainte-Anne had a responsibility to protect Williams from the harms allegedly committed by the two men, but failed to do so. 

University denies men were 'school ambassadors'

The court documents described the men as "school ambassadors" — an assertion disputed by the university.

In its notice of defence, Université Sainte-Anne rejected Williams's claim that the school's administration mishandled her complaint against the volleyball player, saying it took the report seriously and that a subsequent internal investigation was "reasonable and conducted in good faith."

The university denied ever placing the volleyball player in a position of leadership on campus.

The notice of defence also highlighted that no one from the university was made aware of the sexual assaults allegedly committed by the residential adviser, and claimed the man was in a "consensual romantic relationship" with Williams. It also denied that he was a university employee. 

None of the allegations have been proven in court. 

A spokesperson for the university declined an interview and told CBC News in an email that no one from the school would comment on the case while it is before the courts. 

Williams has alleged the residential adviser sexually assaulted her multiple times. However, she did not report this to anyone at the school, citing the fallout from her initial complaint against the volleyball player.

She claimed she experienced victim-blaming by school staff and officials after making the complaint, was denied adequate academic accommodations, and was the target of hateful rumours being spread around campus. 

"Why would I report it to the university after what I went through the first time? That first time almost destroyed me, so I knew it wasn't worth going through it again," Williams told CBC News in June. 

Request for dismissal

Williams's civil suit is seeking unspecified damages, but the university denied in its notice of defence that she is entitled to any. 

The notice added that Université Sainte-Anne will "require Williams to strictly prove all claims for damages and provide particulars for any and all claims for damages." 

The university has requested the lawsuit be dismissed with costs. 

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.

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